Top 25 Programming Interview Questions for 2024

Coding and programming are fascinating subjects. It enables individuals to come together every day to create something unique, share ideas, develop, solve issues, and learn new things. According to Business Insider, Programming or Software Development will be among the most in-demand jobs for 2024. In this blog, we will take you through the most asked Programming Interview Questions for 2024.

This blog on programming Interview Questions, will cover all the questions which you would encounter in almost all interviews from entry-level to expert roles. So without further ado, let’s get right ahead and look at the questions. So without any delay, let’s dive into the most asked programming interview questions for 2024, let’s get started!

Let’s go ahead in this Programming Interview Questions blog, and dive into some beginner programming questions.

Beginner Programming Interview Questions

1. What is Computer Programming?

Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation, usually by designing/building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as analysis, generating algorithms, profiling algorithms’ accuracy and resource consumption, and the implementation of algorithms.

2. How does programming work?

Programming contains a set of instructions for the computer to perform different tasks. Those instructions are executable commands, each having a different purpose.

3. What is an Algorithm?

An algorithm is a set of instructions and standards that tells computer show to complete tasks. Algorithms function by applying specific steps to input information to deliver an output. Algorithms are used in various programs, such as search engines, and are crucial in designing automation.

4. What are Constants?

Constants are data values that remain the same whenever a computer program is initiated. Examples are literal constants, those embedded in the source code, name constants, simplified titles for literal constants.

5. What is a Data Structure?

Data structures are systems specifically meant to organize data and perform functions with ease. Some data structures include arrays, linked lists, and stacks.

6. What is Debugging?

Debugging is the process of finding and removing errors in a program. In this process, the program is thoroughly checked for errors. Then errors are pointed out and debugged.

7. When does a syntax error occur?

A syntax error occurs when the programmer writes an instruction using incorrect syntax. A syntax error occurs when a programmer writes an incorrect line of code. Most syntax errors involve missing punctuation or a misspelled name. If there is a syntax error in a compiled or interpreted programming language, then the code won’t work.

Let’s go ahead in this Programming Interview Questions blog, and dive into some intermediate programming questions.

Intermediate Programming Interview Questions

8. When does a runtime error occur?

A runtime error occurs when a program is syntactically correct but contains an issue that is only detected during program execution. These issues cannot be caught at compile-time by the Java compiler and are only detected by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) when the application is running.

9. When a logical error occurs?

A logical error happens when a program implements the wrong logic. The translator (compiler or interpreter) does not report any error message for a logical error. These errors are the most difficult to locate.

10.  What is a flowchart?

The flowchart is a pictorial representation of a program that helps in understanding the flow of control and data in the algorithm.

11. What was the first programming language you learned?

Being honest with the interviewer would be helpful. What was your first programming language? Was it a JavaScript error? Python? One of the goals of this question is to assess your programming language knowledge. Make careful to brush up on the specifics of the language you plan to discuss, regardless of where you started.

12. What are loops?

The loop is a structure that can repeat a set of statements up to a fixed number of times or until a certain criterion is satisfied.

13. What is Data Abstraction?

Data abstraction is the process of reducing a body of information to its essential characteristics. This process is also referred to as ‘modeling’ and simplifies program development. As databases are complex structures, only choosing to reveal data corresponding to particular user audiences is essential to the functionality of a program.

Let’s go ahead in this Programming Interview Questions blog, and dive into some advanced programming questions.

Advanced Programming Interview Questions

14. What is the working of a compiler?

A compiler is computer software that translates or compiles source code written in a high-level language, into a set of machine-language instructions that can be understood by a digital computer’s CPU. A compiler converts source code to an object code that the machine can read. This machine-readable code is usually made up of zeroes and ones since it’s in binary form. Now the compiler can run the program as an executable file.

15. What are Variables?

In computer programming, a variable is an abstract storage location paired with an associated symbolic name, which contains some known or unknown quantity of information referred to as a value; or in simpler terms, a variable is a container for a particular set of bits or type of data.

16. What is Sorting? Mention some types of Sorting

Sorting is the process of organizing data in a decreasing or increasing order according to specific relationship elements between information types. 

Insertion Sort – Values are gradually inserted into an existing list.

Merge Sort – Partitions of elements are created and merged to prioritize each partition’s components.

Quick Sort – This sorting type positions a pivot element and organizes lesser elements to the left and greater elements to the right.

Radix Sort – This method sorts data by number place values.

Heap Sort – A process that relies on sorting data into a sequence. 

17. What is Documentation?

Documentation is a detailed description of a program’s algorithm, design, coding method, testing, and proper usage. Documentation is valuable for the users who rely upon the program on a day-to-day basis, and for the programmer who may be called on to modify or update it.

18. What is the hardest thing about working as a Programmer?

The hardest thing about being a computer programmer may not be a specific technical skill, but rather a personality trait. Digital platforms and frameworks are evolving faster than ever before. The only way to safeguard yourself from failure isn’t something you learn in a book, but rather it’s something you cultivate from within yourself. Adaptability is the secret weapon for computer programmers at any stage of their career. If you dedicate yourself to the art of adaptation you’ll soon find yourself ready and capable of tackling every challenge thrown your way.

19. Can you tell me about your favorite programming project?

Every programmer will have a favorite language in which they would like to work on a project. Knowing what a person’s favorite programming project is might tell you a lot about what they enjoy doing at work. You might discover that the person favors innovative thinking when it comes to solving complex problems, or that the candidate loves to get lost in repeated lines of code.

20. What is Binary Search and how is it used?

Binary Search which is also known as half-interval search, logarithmic search, or binary chop, is a search algorithm that finds the position of a target value within a sorted array. Binary search compares the target value to the middle element of the array.

Implementing a binary search tree is useful in any situation where the elements can be compared in a less than / greater than manner.  For our example, we’ll use alphabetical order as our criteria for whether an element is greater than or less than another element. This is an important programming interview questions, please take note!

21. Define Low-level programming language.

In computer programming, the programming language which provides no generalization from the computer’s “instruction set architecture” is called a low-level programming language. It usually directs to machine code or assembly language.

22. Define High-Level programming language.

In computer programming, the programming language which provides high generalization from the computer’s “instruction set architecture” is called a high-level programming language. To make the development of a program easier as compared to a low-level programming language, it may use natural language elements.

23. What is Machine code?

Machine code is a language, which can be processed directly by a microprocessor without any need for the previous transformation. Programmers never write programs directly in machine code.

24. What is modeling language?

An artificial language that can be used to express information or knowledge or systems in an arrangement that is defined by a reliable number of rules. These rules are also used for the interpretation of the meaning of components in the structure.

 25. What is analyzing a program?

The process in which the program is decomposed into sub-problems. Rather than on concentrating the bigger problem as a whole, we try to solve each sub-problem separately. This leads to a simple solution. This technique is also known as top-down design.

These were some of the most asked programming questions in an interview, although they are straight forward the questions can be restructured. The answer stays the same. Hope these questions gave you an idea of the kind of questions you would have to prepare for. What’s next? Why don’t you try Edureka’s Python Interview Questions and ace your next Python Developer Interview!

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